Mark Acheson

Diamond takes control of Nato task group in the Mediterranean

Video shows how air traffic controllers kept planes safe as the big storm swept across the south.

The timelapse footage shows how aircraft were diverted by staff at the National Air Traffic Services centre at Swanwick.

NATS staff kept planes safe

A NATS spokeswoman said: 'Dealing with bad weather is one of the most difficult things for air traffic controllers to manage.

'Its unpredictable nature means aircraft aren’t able to fly their usual routes, resulting in unusual flight patterns that add hugely to the complexity of the airspace and the workload for each controller.

'Watching the video you’ll see unusual holding patterns and flight paths as we help pilots navigate around the weather.

'Keep a close eye on each of the airports and you’ll see dozens of ‘go-arounds’ as pilots choose to abort their landings and either re-join the queue or fly elsewhere.

As the airspace gets busier, more holding stacks open for waiting aircraft while the team at NATS control centre in Swanwick work out a plan to get everyone down safely.'